By Alexia Santos
Desperation, a horror novel by Stephen King, is a definite read for any suspense fan. While it is a lengthy read, and cannot be put down for long periods of time (since the plot can get very involving), it is worth the time to give a read, not for the faint of heart.
The novel takes place in the state of Nevada in an appropriately named town, Desperation. The story is set from multiple people's point of view as they travel down Highway 50
Desperation, a horror novel by Stephen King, is a definite read for any suspense fan. While it is a lengthy read, and cannot be put down for long periods of time (since the plot can get very involving), it is worth the time to give a read, not for the faint of heart.
The novel takes place in the state of Nevada in an appropriately named town, Desperation. The story is set from multiple people's point of view as they travel down Highway 50
towards various destinations. They all, however, are pulled aside and taken into custody by the police officer Collie Entragain, for a variety of reasons. Peter and Mary Jackson are taken in due to Entragain finding marijuana in the trunk that Peter swears wasn’t there before. The same thing happens to most of the other characters, all getting taken to the jail for the possession of drugs that had somehow just appeared in their vehicle.
The party of falsely accused convicts include: Mary and Peter Jackson, married writers; Ellen, Ralph, Kirsten and David Carver, a family on a road trip; and John Marinville, a retired author on a cross-country motorcycle trip. Together they discover a much more sinister force is at work in Desperation, and Entragain is not all he seems. He can talk to the coyotes and possesses inhuman strength. Trapped in jail cells, they must escape and trap the being from back where it came, making new companionships along the way, as well as betrayals, loss, and mistrust.
Desperation is a slower paced, descriptive novel. At 704 pages, it is certainly a hefty task to take down. However, it is easy to find yourself becoming invested in the events, characters and settings. The descriptions King sets for this mysterious, terrifying world, are scarily vivid and the reader will find themselves practically in the scene.
The characters, while some are a bit underdeveloped and leave some room for wanting to know more about them, are typically very deep and are as close as one to get to real people. When a character dies and the others react, one can start to empathize with them and feel that pain, horror, or delight in the defeat of a character. As the novel goes on, it does not reveal everything about everyone right away. Just when you think you know everything you can about a person, King throws in another curve ball and twists it in a different direction entirely. Other characters are added on as events ensue, which is where they seem to fall a little short. Audrey Willer is an example of this, where she appears interesting and the reader is drawn to want to know more, but she is taken out of the picture so quickly that there isn’t much time for development. Although one cannot have deep, fully fleshed out characters for every side and minor character, so this can be understandable at times.
If you have time and a thirst for danger, metaphorical danger, Desperation is a definite must-read. The film is available if reading 700 pages isn’t for you, but it’s more than worth the time and effort to experience.
The party of falsely accused convicts include: Mary and Peter Jackson, married writers; Ellen, Ralph, Kirsten and David Carver, a family on a road trip; and John Marinville, a retired author on a cross-country motorcycle trip. Together they discover a much more sinister force is at work in Desperation, and Entragain is not all he seems. He can talk to the coyotes and possesses inhuman strength. Trapped in jail cells, they must escape and trap the being from back where it came, making new companionships along the way, as well as betrayals, loss, and mistrust.
Desperation is a slower paced, descriptive novel. At 704 pages, it is certainly a hefty task to take down. However, it is easy to find yourself becoming invested in the events, characters and settings. The descriptions King sets for this mysterious, terrifying world, are scarily vivid and the reader will find themselves practically in the scene.
The characters, while some are a bit underdeveloped and leave some room for wanting to know more about them, are typically very deep and are as close as one to get to real people. When a character dies and the others react, one can start to empathize with them and feel that pain, horror, or delight in the defeat of a character. As the novel goes on, it does not reveal everything about everyone right away. Just when you think you know everything you can about a person, King throws in another curve ball and twists it in a different direction entirely. Other characters are added on as events ensue, which is where they seem to fall a little short. Audrey Willer is an example of this, where she appears interesting and the reader is drawn to want to know more, but she is taken out of the picture so quickly that there isn’t much time for development. Although one cannot have deep, fully fleshed out characters for every side and minor character, so this can be understandable at times.
If you have time and a thirst for danger, metaphorical danger, Desperation is a definite must-read. The film is available if reading 700 pages isn’t for you, but it’s more than worth the time and effort to experience.